The Heart Killers

it's a ride (watch suggestions)

Overall: I was mostly entertained but the huge total shifts were not for me. I gave this a rating bump because they did attempt something different with the plot even though it was filled with nonsense. 12 episodes about 1 hour each (uncut). Aired uncut on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/2elmpcfm17c?lang=en_us&sh_pltf=4 ; aired uncut on GagaOOLala in Germany, UK & Australia - US starting Dec 21st https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4985/the-heart-killers-2024 ; airing uncut? on GMMTV's YouTube channel not in the US, Canada or Japan https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLszepnkojZI6Bo6a1yZ8iqQTM_A7AiYxQ&si=R4ODeKuWn7AV-SQh (I will use a VPN to check if YT is the cut or uncut version, episode 1 on iQIYI was 1hr4m27s) Later re-aired on Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/40924c-the-heart-killers This review is for the uncut version which was the only MDL entry at the time.

Content Warnings: murders, blood, manipulation, non con picture taking, blackmail/coercion, non con kissing, harassment, homophobia, bullying, teacher/student relationship/grooming/pedophilia, stalking, beaten up, blood, intimate partner abuse, kidnapping, attempted murder, past murders, vomiting

Watch Suggestions (focuses more on sweet moments with the main couples)
- watch episodes 1-5 (likely won't go back for timings though I overall enjoyed the first several episodes)
- episode 6 stop at 1hr1min30s
- skip episode 7
- episode 8 watch 54-end
- episode 9 watch beginning to 16 and 30 to the end
- episode 10 watch 19-40 and 51-end
- episode 11 watch all or can skip 11:30-18:15
- watch ep 12

What I Liked
- an engaging start
- unique premise (non school setting and actors get to play characters closer to their real age)
- flirting/physical intimacy
- sweet moments
- how characters weren't blushing maidens
- styling
- glad they turned the teacher in and there were consequences for that
- that they subverted a very common trope in ep 12
- director cameo in ep 12
- overall wrapped up well

Room For Improvement
- the huge tonal shifts between sweet cinnamon rolls to cold blooded killers (the graphic dream murdering was too much), did not enjoy the amount of times characters pointed a loaded gun at their love interest and it made it difficult for me to root for the couples
- I've never seen a mechanic with that much grease on their face/body before, felt like a fictional way to say "this person is an auto mechanic"
- some of the sound effects/background music
- a couple of odd mouth/face close up shots
- crashed a grief support group and made a mockery of it on multiple occasions
- too much accordion music
- not a fan of the level of harassment, luckily it ended in episode 4
- random couple in episode 8 when they could have spent more time developing a third couple
- ep 12 poor communication lead to more hurt than if he had just said what his plan was
- a ton of nonsense plot stuff that pulled me out of the story also cliched things such as saying "let me explain" over and over again but not explaining, a character saying "trust me" and another character trusting them because of it

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Joong-Dunk & First-Khaotung in a drama… Of course here I come… First of all… What the heck with that first episode… It really gave me a shock, I must check multiple times if this is really a GmmTV production, not anything else… Why…? Because I think this the first GmmTV drama that had such mature scene like that, if I remember correctly, even only friends still didn’t have that kind of scene… I was really shocked with the scene in my eyes… Haha…

Anyhow… Story first…

Kant met Bison at a bowling alley, and they ended up having a one night stand. The next day, Christ (Captain of the police force), asks Kant to spy on Bison & Fadel, who turn out to be a hitman.

Bison is an easy going man, although suspicious about Kant, but feeling a bit charmed by Kant, Bison let his suspicion go away. It's Fadel who can't let it go & keeps curious with Kant.

So, to ‘chase’ Fadel away, Kant asked his friend, Style, to flirt with Fadel.

Style met Fadel by accidently crashing into his car. Fadel's rude attitude toward Style at first made him not want to take Kant's request. But Kant offers Style something he can't refuse, his old car. So, Style begins his chasing. Soon Fadel's harsh & rejecting behavior toward Style really ignites Style feeling to take Fadel down regarding whether Kant offers still exist or not.

So, how will their relationship be when Fadel & Bison finally know the truth about Kant as the police informant…?

That's pretty much the story without giving any more spoilers. Now what I like and don't.

What I like:
4 names: Joong-Dunk & First-Khaotung. Haha… They're amazing here. Especially Dunk & Khaotung.

What I don’t like:
- A little bit too much for my taste. Some scenes are just too exaggerated…
- All the stupid little things that happen in drama. GmmTV really needs to learn more realistic crime dramas, than only rely on the chemistry of the couples. I mean like when Bison & Fadel do their crime, they never wear gloves. Haha… I know this seems insignificant, but still…

Overall, finally GmmTV really dared to take up a notch of their usual casual drama into a more serious one. Really hope they can bring us a more realistic story…

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Good acting by the main actors, good plot, but the support charaters were a bit flat

Overall a nice, exciting drama. However, I don't think I would watch it a second time.
At first I really almost hated Kant for what he does and first is a fantastic actor, having been in only fans. but the emotional calm he brings especially in live-to-death situations is...heartbreaking. it really brings so much more emotion across than if he was screaming. Insane.
The chemistry between DunkJoon is also just really good. And it was also heartbreaking (like the title says) to see fadel crying bitterly. Had to cry along... The romance between the two is also just on another level. uff just when they hug I have butterflies in my stomach. It was nice to see that Fadel had a vision for life after prison. I wish we could still see what bison has become. I could imagine something along the lines of a painter-artist.
The story is interesting and exciting, but the roles of Mum and Keen didn't really appeal to us and remained flat. It was nice that captain had another appearance, but I would have liked keen to make another appearance in the final ep to say goodbye to his "mum".
The music is basically good to very good, only in Ep 6 rock club scene the music didn't fit at all when the two went into the infield (Rain Jewels - a night to remember: an indie pop artist. Songtitle fits but genre doesn't unfortunately). Besides that, the chosen music is quite good.
Of course there are also a few spicy scenes, I would have liked a nice Penguin scene at the end (as Bison was either drunk or they were disturbed), apart from that these were also nicely staged and you realised that it wasn't their (both parings) first bl (first nc scenes).

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Real mixed bag

I adore FirstKhao, who doesn't, and they were the only ones I was familiar with before going into this show, but I've got to be honest Style and Fadel were the only ones that kept me going with this one.

I think of the four, Dunk's acting was the weakest, but Style as a character is so so SO annoyingly lovable, I didn't mind that much. His cheeky, confidence bewitched me like it did Fadel lol. He had the funniest lines, and I love that he was a mechanic specifically, such a macho job combined with his croptops and fabulousness was delightful. His dad was also great fun.
Joong blew me away, Fadel was such a complex character and he really played the hell out of it, all barely restrained emotions, scared and angry, it was beautifully done! Together their relationship really got to grow and bloom as they started to actually open up and care for each other. Also, in my heart they are a true vers couple, Style is too bossy and Fadel deserves to be worshipped.

Of First and Khao I don't really have anything bad to say acting wise, they were great as always, but their characters reeally fell flat. Bison was interesting in the beginnig, hot tempred, into kink, sweet and spicy both, but as soon as the romance started, his character kind of devolved into nothing but lovesick puppy? With Kant, he obviously was playing a character in the beginnig, being so charming and suave, I was hoping there to be some surprise, some change once the ruse ends but... there was nothing? Still as in love, still charming just much of the same. With their relationship, they threw away anything unique and different, (i guess they forgot Bison was into bdsm? like he was prepared with all that stuff, it wasn't an act?) but there wasn't really any growth besides the ruse and recovery from that.

Plot was nonsense lot of the time, but I didn't really mind. The dates were always cheesy, often cringy, but at least the sets were pretty. I'll admit I fast forwarded through most of the KantBison dates, since they really got the short end of the stick with the cheese and cringe.

I won't be rewatching this show, but I will watch StyleFadel compilations on YouTube.

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Imperfect and Messy, but a fun ride!

Wow, what a journey! I have to say that I surprisingly enjoyed the hell out of this show. Is it an amazing story? No, not really. But, there's just something about this show that makes it really fun to watch despite having many illogical things within it.

PROS
Characters - All the characters were just so interesting to watch! None of them were the classic perfect goody shoes main characters, which I really appreciated. They all had their own issues and flaws, which made them feel more real and relatable. Each main character's actions were understandable, even when they made stupid decisions that made me want to bang my head and their heads against the wall. I especially liked how their personalities clashed and complemented each other. This is specifically true for Fadel and Style, who had some really interesting dynamics.

Chemistry - Off the charts. I came into this already knowing how well KhaoFirst's chemistry is, but what took me by surprise was JoongDunk. I admit, I did not know anything about these two before watching this show, but I was pleasantly surprised how awesome they were together. In fact, I have become total fans of these two and am planning on watching all of their shows together. I just couldn't remove my eyes off the them and their story AT ALL!!

Comedy - If you're expecting an action-packed show like KinnPorsche, then this is defo not for you. This is more of a romantic-comedy (as also said by the actors), so make sure to keep your expectations checked! The comedy was definitely a highlight for me. Style aka Dunk was such an amazing comic relief who also had so many iconic lines. I couldn't stop getting amused, even in serious situations.

Spicy Scenes - Do I need to say more? Now, I'm not the kind of person who just watches BL dramas for spicy scenes, but I will say that it was quite well-done in this show. It's not the classic "top person does all the work" kinda thing (which is completely unrealistic). All the main characters actively engage and do their parts well.

CONS
Illogical moments - I have to say that this drama had multiple plot holes. Some character decisions felt very out of character, like they were made just to push the plot forward rather than matching their personalities. We also did not get proper closure for soo many things. The truth of many things that the audiences were curious about were not told at all.... and don’t even get me started on some of the coincidences! Certain events lined up so conveniently that it felt almost lazy from a writing viewpoint.

Villain characterization - I'm sorry, but this is the lamest villain I've seen in a while!!! The villain was just sooo useless and weak, to the point that it was quite frustrating. I kept thinking "damn, even I can do better than this and I'm no villain". I don't understand how the director managed to give all the mc's has such awesome personalities, but made the antagonists soo freaking stupid and weak.

Acting - Ik that I just proclaimed my love for JoongDunk the pros section above. They're very good, but both of them defo need some more acting lessons. Both of them did good in the comedy, romance, and action bits, but it was obvious how much they struggled with some scenes that require showing a lot of emotions. Those scenes were a hit or miss. They did really good in some emotional scenes, but some also made me go "huh?". However, Ik these two have improved a lot compared to their previous dramas together, so I know that they will just keep getting better. They also matched their characters very well, which I liked a lot.

First's character AKA Kant - I'm not too sure if this is a character problem, actor problem, a director problem, or just a me problem. I just couldn't care about Kant's character AT ALL. He did not feel genuine for about the first 7ish episodes. He did not feel genuine when he "really fell in love". His character just felt really fake for half the show. His character felt better in the second half though..

Overall, this is just a messy, but fun watch. Don't have high expectations about the assassins plot and the action, then you just might enjoy this ridiculous show like I did lol. GOOD LUCK IF YOU PTW THIS!

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This was ok. Yep. That about sums it up.

I can't say I didn't like this story because I did to some level.And I managed to get to the last episode. Well, yes—with the help of popcorn, which I could throw at the screen whenever one of the characters made me angry. Don’t get me wrong, in theory, this was an excellent series. It had all the elements of a good show- a interesting plot, a likable characters, a compelling romance; but in reality it really dragged for me and I can't quite put my finger on why. I would say this was more of an romance sparkled with some a little action.
OK
This started off very strong. I was pretty much instantly charmed by the main characters and there were so many things I really enjoyed about. And then something happened...and trust that no one is surprised more than me. I was bored. I am in shock. What did everyone else discover that I missed? Yes. There were cute bits, and funny bits, and emotional bits, but something just didn’t totally click for me. The problem is not with "The Heart Killers", It is with me. So give it a chance, because it might be your cup of tea.

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When a show is made purely to capitalize on actors popularity and the plot doesn't matter

It actually pains me to see these actors in this poorly produced drama. This show premise has a lot going for it. Two brothers, Fadel and Bison, are hitmen due to their traumatic past leading them down a path of revenge and carnage but find themselves entangled with two persistent and magnetic men that begin to melt their cold exterior and make them wish for a different road. Kant, who meets Bison by chance during a one night stand, is forced into trying to expose the brothers in order to erase his own shady past to protect his younger brother. In his pursuit of Bison and evidence to damn him he enlists the help of his best friend Style to seduce Fadel and pave an easier open for Kant to sneak his way in. While not originally aware of who Fadel really is, Style pursues and wins over Fadel with his tenacious heart. But trouble brews when the brothers realize they have been played leading to a crossroads of how to handle their lovers as their anger and their heart are at war.

With a strong idea and competent actors this series should have been a home run. Unfortunately this show fails to realize any of its potential. From the beginning it is hard to believe that Fadel and Bison are in fact professional hitmen. The pair are likeable and entertaining but the poorly planned and executed 'jobs' and the lack of backstory do not give them credibility as professional killers. Instead the show focuses only on the chemistry and relationship between the pairs without creating any true coherent plot line. It becomes solely about the 4 main leads love story using flimsy story arcs to move the story forward and each arc is more ridiculous than the last. You have to completely abandon any logic to get any enjoyment out of this show. From professional hitmen that don't know how to cover their tracks, to kidnapping in pure daylight with no attempt at secrecy, to prison time that looks like college. Nothing about this drama made sense or was realistic.

Shot with a very small cast this show appears as low budget often with the characters being the only four to appear on screen. Budget wasn't even afforded for enough extras in the hospital or public areas to make any of the story feel real. Even the acting began to feel over the top. Not even the NC scenes were able to save this as they became cringey to watch the further into the story you get. Sadly I do not recommend this show and suggest you use your valuable time on something else and wait for better projects from these actors.

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Beyond fulfilling and worth watching!

A series rich in locations, colours and flavours, framed by a retro aesthetic and tasteful music choices. The romantic aspect is the primary focus of the story --with some action and clever comedy elements combined-- yet no character lives in the shadow of their relationship. We got four very distinctive, fleshed out and independent personalities with their own goals and motives, that could stand alone and still keep the show entertaining.

Acting-wise, the characters are uniquely portrayed and all the actors deserve praise for rising to the challenges and demands their roles present. I will commend First a little more for his performance, only because his character's portrayal heavily depended on micro-expressions and affective flexibility; something I consider really difficult and he does exceptionally.

The show is not flawless and it might have a few loose ends here and there, but it is a very enjoyable and fun ride and I do recommend it to anyone who will watch it for what it is. If you expect a deep mafia drama plot, I suggest you look elsewhere. If you're also looking for a cute, fluffy series of green and red flags, you won't enjoy this series guaranteed. This show embraces the grey. It doesn't follow a moral code and no character falls under the category of the good or the bad guy. The duality of the series, is what makes it stand out from the stack of bls.

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Excited to see where this goes

I wasn't going to write a review but I've seen some comments on various platforms (though seems like less on here) that have said some things that I think are missing some kind of crucial points. I saw a couple that basically said that Kant and Bison's relationship was too insta-love. That Kant seemed too over-the-top in love and Bison was stupid for trusting him and falling for him so quickly. But like...I don't think either of them are even really starting to be in love until like episode 4 (bonding over helping Kant's brother). They are both attracted to each other from the beginning. But Kant is faking anything more. That's the point of his job. He is honey-trapping him. So, of course he's going to seem over-the-top. But I think First does a good job of adding nuance between moments where his character is putting on an act of being in love versus actually starting to fall for him. Like in the last episode (6), his face when he saw Bison walk in the bar and the way he took his hand and looked at him while they were first talking versus him pulling the hand that was holding Bison's back to take a drink and the way his demeanor changed and he snapped back into his "madly in love" boyfriend role when Bison asked if there was anything weighing on his mind. Even the way he took/held his hand after was different (i.e. instead of his original kind of casual affection holding it between them, he went more over-the-top cliche romantic and pulled it to him, kissed it while making eye contact, sniffed it, and then held it with both hands in his space).

And while I don't think Bison is faking being in love, I think that at the start he was more in love with love than he was Kant. I wish I could come up with a better example, but it's like Anna and Hans from Frozen. Anna wasn't really in love with Hans. She wanted out. She wanted freedom and companionship and love. And Hans showed up offering her all that so she jumped in feet first, even if she didn't really love him. Bison is tired of this life. He wants to form connections. He wants companionship, even just in the form of a stray cat. He wants freedom. And here comes someone claiming to be so smitten with him, he'll risk his brother's wrath to be with him. Someone who is offering to take him to all the places he dreams about going, complimenting his artistic skills, and encouraging him to fully be himself (in and out of the bedroom). And again I think Khao has done a good job of expressing moments where Bison is like clearly just enjoying the situation and the kind of fun adrenaline rush of being courted by someone attractive versus moments where he is feeling drawn towards Kant specifically.

I also like the way that Bison seemed mostly unmoved by Kant showing up to tell the guy to back off. Like he wasn't put off, but it wasn't the big gesture Kant was intending when he hired the guy to make a move. But dancing with him after? Or Style telling Bison that he'd never seen Kant fall like that before? Those definitely did more to get Bison's affection and they weren't planned. Honestly, I think even Bison talking to Kant's sort-of-ex/stalker and finding out the guy was basically following him because Kant was supportive when he was in a bad place, even though they weren't in a relationship helped Kant's mission more than some of the fake gestures he puts on. And the thing that really drew Bison to Kant the most was Kant's loyalty and affection for his brother, Babe. (Also Kant basically losing all reason and planning to just charge into the school with zero plan, probably made it hard to believe he was capable of conning anyone). So, it's interesting because basically, Kant is falling for the real Bison, while faking being in love with who Bison pretends to be. While Bison is falling for the real Kant, while being courted by who Kant is pretending to be.

Also, like people are mad at Kant, but other than not being up front with Style sooner (which he wanted to do but was told not to), I don't fully understand why. Bison is literally a hired killer and Kant was blackmailed into this (he also wasn't told, "oh, he's a killer but he only kills bad people." Kant doesn't know what these guys are being killed for, just that they're rich and dropping like flies). He didn't really know Bison when he first agreed and when he got to know him more he tried to pull out of it. And then dragged his feet and gave excuses to prolong his time with him. Because I feel like he was capable enough that he could have gotten the information sooner if he really wanted to. Like, he had their address. He knew they both typically worked at the diner at the same time. He could have just had Style watching the diner to see if either left and then broken in while they were busy. He could have bugged the dance trophy or a gift to Bison. Like, he could have wrapped this up sooner if he had really wanted to.

On to Style and Fadel. Style is an interesting character that I hope they explore more. Like him crashing the support group wasn't cool, but at the same time the way he did it I think makes his character interesting. His mom died. The little that he says about it later makes it seem like it was a really big blow to both him and his dad. But instead of sharing something real, he makes up a story about a dog. Finding out his mom died and hearing how he talked about it and thinking back on that meeting felt like a big deal. Him talking about his mom might have helped him earn sympathy from Fadel. It might have actually helped him win him over, which was his whole plan. But it would have meant sharing something real and being vulnerable. The same way some people hide their pain by making jokes, Style seems to hide his vulnerability by being shameless and acting like he doesn't take anything seriously. Fadel, I think is similar, but instead of acting out, he just is very reserved, acting like he isn't affected and doesn't really care, when he cares deeply.

I also have questions about the detective and their "mom". She seems shady. Like right off the bat, she seems like she might be using them to take out her business rivals more than actual bad people. But detective seems shady too. Like he had all those photos to show Kant in that first meeting. And he clearly had some information he didn't share already because he didn't just think they were suspects, he was acting like he knew it was them. So why did he need Kant involved if he had someone tailing them already and knew they were guilty? Did the person tailing the brothers get pictures of Kant and Bison at the bowling alley and that's why he specifically is pressuring Kant? And how did he connect them to the crimes in the first place? I feel like he knows more than he is letting on. Could be a twist if "mom" was using the cop to clean up loose ends and take them out, maybe that's also how she was getting some of the intel on the crimes the victims were accused of committing.

Honestly, I'm really liking the different facets of all the characters and how they are developing. I'm excited to see where it goes.

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Great Characters, Messy Plot

Obviously, when GMM announced a Taming of the Shrew adaptation about hitmen with Firstkhao, it felt like they designed a show just for me. I had super high expectations going into this, and the actors delivered. I found myself super invested in all four of the main characters and both couples felt well developed and explored. Unfortunately, the plot (especially towards the end) felt like it was missing something to tie it all together.

Kant (First) is blackmailed by a cop to investigate two brothers running a burger joint, since there's reason to believe these brothers are actually hitmen. When Kant learns that the younger brother Bison (Khaotung) is his one night stand from the other night, he sees an easy way in. However, Fadel (Joong), Bison's older brother, cotinues to get in his way of pursuing Bison. Bison, who clearly has feelings for Kant already, convinces him to set Fadel up with someone to get him out of their hair. Kant bribes his best friend Style (Dunk) to help, but it winning over Fadel seems nearly impossible. As the two friends get closer to the pair of brothers, they start falling in love for real. When the pressure of the cops and the fear of the hitmen collide, Kant and Style have to figure out a way to save their love and themselves.

The Heart Killers starts out mostly as a romcom, but with hitmen. It's fun, it's oddly light, and the random bowling alley dance scene didn't even feel all that out of place. As the story ramps up, it's clear they wanted a bit of a darker vibe, but totally missed the mark on it. I feel like if they set the tone in the beginning, it could've worked a lot better. It also felt like the last few episodes were rushing to get in all the plot, and left aspects of the story feeling unfinished and unsatisfying. I think it's been super fun to watch GMM try out more genres, but it seemed like their ratios of sexy scenes to plot-relevant scenes was a bit too high. That being said, it was still a super fun watch and a great performance from all the actors involved.

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